U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Start Bird Hazing Operations

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is directing the installation of
100 propane cannons designed to scare birds away from contaminated marshes
and swamps along the Mississippi River.

Propane cannons are machines that ignite propane gas to produce
loud explosions at timed or random intervals. They will be located
in areas of high use by water birds like egrets, herons and ducks,
and moved around every few days.

“The noise is extremely loud,” said Buddy Goatcher, Contaminants
Specialist with the FWS. “We are placing the cannons mostly in
the battures, the swamps inside the levees, to keep feeding birds
from oiled areas.”

The cannons are expected to be set up by qualified contractors,
supervised by FWS Contaminants Specialists over the next few days.

“While these cannons are useful tools to frighten birds, they
could pose a threat to anyone getting within 500 feet of one,”
said Goatcher. “To insure your safety, please stay away from them.”

These cannons will be augmented with modified flare guns and starter
pistols that fire special bird scare cracker shells. These devices
will be used by the Incident Command’s Wildlife Group biologists
from the FWS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The noise-making operation is expected to continue until the swamp
areas are cleaned.

The Hotline to report oiled wildlife is (504) 393-0353. Reports
should include time of sighting, location, and contact name and
phone number.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife,
plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. Visit the Service’s Web site at http://www.fws.gov or the
Southeast Web site at http://www.fws.gov/southeast.